Chalkboard



April 20, 1955 R c. DYER ETAL 3,178,834

CHALKBOARD Filed July 17', 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 r Lg) BY awrzas 552225,

APril 20, 1965 R. c. DYER ETAL 3,178,834

GHALKBOARD Filed July 17, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 INVENTORS- wwmwwwmUnited States Patent 3,178,834 CHALKBOARD Richard C. Dyer and (ZharlesB. States, New Castle, Ind, assignors to New Castle Products, Inc., NewCastle, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed July 17, 1963, Ser. No.295,736 8 Claims. (Cl. 35-63) This invention relates to panel assembliesand is more particularly concerned with improvements in assemblies forsupporting chalkboards and similar panels.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a panel assembly forchalkboards or the like wherein the panels are mounted in a supportingframe so as to be movable and extensible, thereby permitting theassembly to be moved to different positions and the panels to beextended for increasing the exposed surface thereof available for use.

It is another object of the invention to provide a movabio andextensible chalkboard assembly which is supported by an overhead trackand which is provided with releasable fastener devices for co-actionwith the fioor of a room.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a chalkboard or likepanel assembly which includes a horizontally extending overhead trackadapted for at tachment to the ceiling or other overhead structure of aroom, a frame comprising two vertically extending rails and twohorizontally extending rails, the vertically extending rails beingspaced apart horizontally and provided at their upper ends with meansfor sliding co-axially in the overhead track, the horizontally extendingrails being attached in vertically spaced relation to the verticallyextending rails and two panels of generally rectangular form slidablyconnected at their upper and lower edges with the horizontally extendingrails one behind the other, each of the panels being of substantiallythe same width as the spacing of the vertically extending rails and eachof the panels being slidable horizontally in opposite directions alongthe horizontally extending rails a distance approximately half the widthof the same whereby to expose both panels along side each other whilethe same are supported by the horizontally extending rails.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide in a panelassembly for chalkboards or the like a horizon tally extending overheadtrack, a frame which includes pairs of vertically and horizontallyextending rails with the vertically extending rails spaced aparthorizontally and provided at their upper ends with means for slidingco-action with the overhead track and at their lower ends withreleasable fasteners adapted for co-action with the floor of a room, thehorizontally extending rails being of generally channel-shaped crosssection and attached in vertically spaced relation to the front faces ofthe vertically extending rails intermediate the upper and lower endsthereof with the channeled faces of the horizontally extending rails inconfronting relation to each other, and two chalkboard panels ofgenerally rectangular form slidably connected at their upper and loweredges with the horizontally extending rails, one behind the other, eachof the panels being of approximately the same dimen sion in thetransverse direction of the frame as the horizontally extending railsand each of the panels being slidable horizontally in oppositedirections along the horizontally extending rails a distance ofapproximately half the width thereof whereby to expose both panelsalongside each other with the exposed surface having a horizontaldimension approximately twice the maximum horizontal dimension of theframe.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom a consideration of the chalkboard assembly which is shown by way ofillustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation, with portions broken away, of achalkboard assembly and a supporting frame structure which incorporatestherein the principal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective of the chalkboard to a smaller scaleindicating in dotted line the position of the chalkboard panels when inextended relation;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective of the chalkboard assembly withportions broken away or omitted;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section, taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1, to anenlarged scale and with portions broken away;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevation with portions broken away at one endof the upper horizontal rail; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE5.

The chalkboard assembly which is illustrated in the drawings is adaptedfor installation in a room so that the entire assembly as a unit may bepositioned, when desired, at one side of the room with the chalkboardpanels rctracted so as to occupy a minimum of space. The assembly isparticularly adapted for use in conjunction with a foldable wall formingpartition of Well known construction, the assembly being mounted so thatwhen the partition is folded into retracted condition, the chalkboardassembly may be moved also along with the partition to one side of theroom while when the foldable partition is extended into wall formingrelation the chalkboard assembly may be moved to any desirable locationparallel with the same and with the chalkboard panels extended, ifdesired. The chalkboard assembly may, of course, be used in a roomwithout a partition and located anywhere in the room.

The illustrated assembly 10 comprises a pair of vertically disposedrails or posts 11 and 12 which are horizontally spaced a predetermineddistance and which support a pair of horizontally disposed rails orangle bars 13 and 14 between which a pair of rectangular chalkboardpanels 15 and 16 are slida-bly mounted. The horizontally dis posed crossrails 13 and 14 are secured by suitable connecting members to the outerfaces of the vertically disposed frame members 11 and 12 inpredetermined vertical spaced relation and with the lowermost rail 14spaced a suitable distance above the lower ends of the vertical rails 11and 12 for convenient use of the chalkboards. The vertical rails orposts 11 and 12 are of identical construction, except for theconnections for a top cross brace w, and only one thereof will bedescribed.

The vertically disposed rail 11 (FIGURES l, 3 and 4) is preferably ofhollow metal with a rectangular cross section and carries at its upperend a pair of trolley wheels 17 which ride in a track forming channel18. The track forming channel 18 is of generally rectangular crosssection and is attached to the ceiling, indicated at 21), with alongitudinally extending slot 21 in the bottom face for accommodatingthe mounting yoke 22 on the upper ends of which the wheels 17 aresupported by means of an axle forming pin 23. The yoke 22 is supportedon the top flange 24 of an angle bracket 25 which is bolted or otherwisesecured to the top end of the vertical rail 11. The yoke 22 is pivotallymounted in a suitable bearing forming bore 26 in the angle bracket 24and held in position by a collar 27 secured on the lower end thereof.

The upper horizontal rail or cross angle 13 carries on the lower face ofits topmost horizontal flange a pair of track forming channels 30 and 31which are of rectangular cross section with longitudinal slots in thebottom faces for accommodating in sliding relation the membersconnecting the upper edges of the chalkboards 15 and 16 therewith.

V 3 The lower horizontalrail or cross angle 14 carries on itshorizontally disposed flange a pair of track forming channels 32 and 33which are of the same cross section as the upper channels 30' and 31 andwhich have longitudinal slots in their uppermost faces for accommodatingin slidable relation the connecting members for the lower edges of thechalkboard panels 15 and 16. An angle member forming a trim strip 34extends along .the front edge of the upper cross rail 13 and supports onits downwardly extending front face forming flange a map-rail 35. Thelower cross rail 14 carries on its lower front edge a chalk tray 36which is supported along the front edge of the lower rail 14 by a trimstrip forming angle bar 37, the latter being secured to the lower faceof the rail 14.

The two chalkboards 15 and 16 are of identical construction, except forbeing rights and lefts, and of the same size and each board has mountedon its upper and lower edges a pair of horizontally spaced top saddleassemblies 40 and 40' (FIGURE 3) and a pair of horizontally spacedbottom saddle assemblies 41 and 41. The saddle assemblies 40 and 41 aremounted adjacent the vertical edge of the board 'which is innermost whenthe boards are mounted on the supporting frame. The other pair of saddlemembers 40- and 41' are vertically aligned and positioned near thecenter of the top and bottom edges of the board. The two top saddleassemblies 40 and 40' each comprise a U-shaped bracket 42 secured instraddling relation over the top edge of'the board and an upstandingguide pin 43 having an enlarged head forming portion 44 which is adaptedto ride in the top guide channel. The lower or bottom saddle assemblies41 and 41' each comprise a U-shaped bracket 45 which straddles the loweredge of the board and which carries on its lower face a hearing orsupporting member 46 having'slots 47 in the front and back edges forreceiving the track forming flanges on the track channels 32 and 33.

The top and bottom horizontal rails 13 and 14 are provided at each endwith combination guide and stop assemblies which permit the panels 15and 16 to be extended on opposite sides of the frame a distance which isdetermined by the location of the centermost top and bottom saddleassemblies 40' and 41 on the respective boards 15 and 16. The saddleassemblies 40' and 41 are located r so that when the boards are fullyextended later-ally of the frame the front faces of the boards areaccessible in sideby-side relation for use as illustrated in dotted linein FIGURE 2. The stop assemblies 50 (FIGURES 3, 4 and 5) at each end ofthe rails 13 and 14 each comprise an end plate 51 which is slotted at 52and which is secured to angle bracket 53 and on which a stop block 54 ismounted. The stop block 54 is slotted at 55 and 56 to permit movement ofthe chalkboards. The entire assembly 50 is attached to the rail by theangle bracket 53.

To anchor the frame against further movement when it is positioned inthe desired location along the track 18, the vertical posts or rails 11and 12 are each provided with a foot bolt assembly 60 (FIGURES 1 and 4).The foot bolt assembly 60 is of well known construction comprising ahousing 61 secured to the front or side face of the post, a foot bolt 62which is urged in the retracted direction by a compression spring 63 inthe housing 61 and an apertured lock plate 64 which grips the bolt 62when the latter is extended and which is adapted to be swung to releasethe bolt. 7

The operation of the chalkboard will be obvious from the descriptionthereof. When it is desired to use the board the entire assembly may bemoved to any desired location along the track 18 and latched in positionby the operation of the foot bolts 62. The two boards 15 and 16 may thenbe extended in opposite directions so that approximately half of eachboard projects on each side of the frame assembly. The end stopassemblies 50 prevent the boards from leaving the horizontal tracks.

and limits their extended position as shown in FIGURE 2. While in theillustrated form of the apparatus the top .4 track forming channel 18 isattached to the ceiling of the room, it may be attached to any otherconvenient overhead structure or special supporting structure may beprovided. The track 18 maybe straight as shown, or it may be curvedifdesired. Also, the location of the cross rails 13 and 14 relative to thefloor may be varied, or if desired, the rails 13 and 14 may beadjustably mounted on the frame so as to enable the chalkboards to bepositioned at the height desired.

While particular materials and specific details of construction havebeen referred to in describing the illustrated form of the chalkboardassembly, itwill be understood that other materials and equivalentstructural details may be resorted to within the spirit of theinvention.

We claim: I

1. In a chalkboard panel assembly, a horizontally extending overheadtrack adapted for attachment to the ceilingof aroom, a frame which,includes two vertically extending rails and two horizontally extendingrails, said vertically extending rails being spaced apart horizontally,and being provided at their upper ends with means for sliding co-actionwith the overhead track and at their lower ends with releasablefasteners adapted for co-action with the floor of the room, saidhorizontally extending rails being of generally channel-shapedcrosssection and attached in vertically spaced relation to the front faces ofthe vertically extending rails' intermediate the upper and lower ends ofthe latter with the channeled faces of the horizontally extending railsin confronting relation to each other, and two chalkboard panels ofgenerally rec tangular form disposed one behind the other and slidablymounted at their upper and lower edges in the channeled faces of saidhorizontally extending rails, each of said panels being of substantiallythe same width as the spacing in the lateral direction of the verticallyextending rails, and ,co-operating stop means on said horizontallyextending rails and on the upper and'lower edges of said panels, each ofsaid panels being slidable horizontally in opposite directions along thehorizontally extending rails a distance of approximately half the widthof the same whereby to expose both panels alongside each other whilethey are supported by said horizontally extending ra1 s.

2. In a panel assembly, a horizontally extending overhead track adaptedfor attachment to the ceiling of a room, a frame which includes twovertically extending rails and two horizontally extending rails, saidvertically extending rails being spaced apart in a horizontal direction,and being provided at theirrupper ends with means for sliding co-actionwith the overhead track, said horizontally extending rails beingattached in vertically spaced relation tothe vertically extending rails,two panels of generally rectangular form slidably connected at theirupper and lower edges with the horizontally extending rails, one behindthe other, each of said panels being of substantially the same width asthe horizontal spacing of the vertically extending rails, each of saidpanels being slidable horizontally in opposite directions along thehorizontally extending rails, and means to limit the sliding movement ofeach panel to a distance of approximately half the width of the samewhereby to expose both panels alongside each other while the panels aresupported by said horizontally extending rails.

3. A chalkboard assembly comprising a supporting frame having spacedpairs of horizontally and vertically extending rails, the horizontallyextending rails being of generally channel-shaped cross section andbeing attached to the vertically extending rails intermediate the upperand lower ends of said vertically extending rails so as to provideconfronting channels forming oppositely disposed guideways, twochalkboard panels of generally rectangular form slidably connected attheir upper and lower edges with said horizontally extending rails forhorizontal sliding movement inopposite directions along ing rails forlimiting the movement of the panels so as to permit the outer faces ofboth panels to be exposed in side-by-side relation while the panels aresupported by said horizontally extending rails, an overhead track, meanson the upper ends of said vertically extending rails for slidingco-action with said overhead track and releasable fasteners on the lowerends of said vertically extending rails for co-action with the floor ofa room so as to lock the assembly in adjusted position.

4. A chalkboard assembly comprising a supporting frame having spacedpairs of horizontally and vertically extending rails, the horizontallyextending rails being of generally channel-shaped cross section andbeing attached to the vertically extending rails intermediate the upperand lower ends of said vertically extending rails so as to provideparallel confronting channels forming oppositely disposed guideways, twochalkboard panels of generally rectangular form, means slidablyconnecting said panels at their upper and lower edges with saidhorizontally extending rails for horizontal sliding movement in oppositedirections in said guideways, means for limiting the movement of thepanels along the horizontal extending rails so as to permit the outerfaces of both panels to be exposed in side-by-side relation while thepanels are supported by said horizontally extending rails, an overheadtrack, means on the upper ends of said vertically extending rails forsliding co-action with said overhead track and releasable fasteners onthe lower ends of said vertically extending rails for co-action with thefloor of a room to lock said assembly in predetermined position.

5. In a panel assembly, a horizontally extending overhead track adaptedfor attachment to the ceiling of a room, a frame which includes twovertically extending rails and two horizontally extending rails, saidvertically extending rails being spaced apart horizontally, and beingprovided at their upper ends with means for sliding co-action with theoverhead track, said horizontally extending rails being attached invertically spaced, parallel relation to the vertically extending rails,two panels of generally rectangular form, means slidably connectingtheir upper and lower edges with the horizontally extending rails, onebehind the other, said panels each being of substantially the same widthas the spacing in the horizontal direction of the vertically extendingrails, means adjacent the ends of said horizontally extending rails forlimiting the sliding movement of said panels, and said panels beingslidable horizontally in opposite directions along the horizontallyextending rails a distance sufficient to expose both panels alongsideeach other While said panels are supported by said horizontallyextending rails.

6. In a chalkboard panel assembly, a horizontally extending overheadtrack adapted for attachment to the ceiling of a room, a frame whichincludes two vertically extending rails and two horizontally extendingrails, said vertically extending rails being spaced apart horizontally,and being provided at their upper ends with means for sliding co-actionwith the overhead track and at their lower ends with releasablefasteners adapted for co-action with the floor of the room, saidhorizontally extending rails being of generally channel-shaped crosssection and attached in vertically spaced relation to the front faces ofthe vertically extending rails intermediate the upper and lower ends ofthe latter with the channeled faces of the horizontally extending railsin confronting relation to each other and providing pairs of cooperatingupper and lower guide tracks, and two chalkboard panels of generallyrectangular form slidably connected at their upper and lower edges withthe horizontally extending rails, one behind the other, each of saidpanels being of substantially the same width as the spacing of thevertically extending rails, and each of the panels having at its upperand lower edges horizontally spaced saddle assemblies slidably connectedwith said guide tracks, stop means at the ends of said guide tracks forcooperation with said saddle assemblies to limit the movement of saidpanels,

and said saddle assemblies being spaced to enable said panels to slidehorizontally in opposite directions along the horizontally extendingrails with the sliding movement of each of said panels being limited bysaid stop means to a distance of approximately half the width of thesame whereby to expose both panels alongside each other while supportedby said horizontally extending rails.

7. In a chalkboard panel assembly, a horizontally extending overheadtrack adapted for attachment to the ceiling of a room, a frame whichincludes vertically extending rails and horizontally extending rails,said vertically extending rails being provided at their upper ends withmeans for sliding co-action with the overhead track and at their lowerends with releasable fasteners adapted for co-action with the floor ofthe room to lock said assembly in predetermined position, saidhorizontally extending rails being of generally channel-shaped crosssection and being connected in vertically spaced relation to thevertically extending rails intermediate the upper and lower ends of thelatter, and two chalkboard panels of generally rectangular form disposedone behind the other and slidably connected at their upper and loweredges with the horizontally extending rails, each of said panels beingof substantially the same width as the frame, stop means on said panelsintermediate the ends of the top and bottom edges thereof andco-operating stop means at the ends of each of said horizontallyextending rails whereby said panels are slidable horizontally inopposite directions along the horizontally extending rails, the movementof each panel being limited by said stop means to a distance ofapproximately half the width of the frame whereby to position the panelsin side-by-side relation while they are supported by said horizontallyextending rails.

8. In a chalkboard panel assembly, a horizontally extending overheadtrack adapted for attachment to the ceiling of a room, a frame whichincludes vertically extending rails and horizontally extending rails,said vertically extending rails being spaced apart horizontally, andbeing provided at their upper ends with means for sliding co-action withthe overhead track and at their lower ends with releasable fastenersadapted for co-action with the floor of the room to hold said assemblyin adjusted position, said horizontally extending rails being ofgenerally channel-shaped cross section and attached in verticallyspaced, parallel relation to the vertically extending rails intermediatethe upper and lower ends of the latter with the channeled faces of thehorizontally extending rails in confronting relation to each other, andtwo chalkboard panels of generally rectangular form, pairs of saddlemembers spaced along the upper and lower edges of said panels and havingportions thereof seated in sliding relation in the channeled faces ofthe horizontally extending rails, each of said panels being ofsubstantially the same width as the frame, one of the saddle members ofeach pair thereof being disposed approximately in the middle of thepanel and stop members at the ends of said horizontally extending railsfor engagement by said saddle members so that each of said panels isslidable horizontally along the horizontally extending rails a distanceof approximately half the width of the frame whereby to expose bothpanels in side-by-side relation so as to provide twice the work surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 133,583 12/72Johnson 35-63 357,677 2/87 Lykens et al. 35-63 627,396 6/99 Daly 35-631,099,748 6/14 Hopkins 35-63 1,490,471 4/24 Law 272-22 2,528,311 10/50Hurley 35-63 3,072,975 1/63 Burmeister 20-19 JEROME SCHNALL, PrimaryExaminer.

2. IN A PANEL ASSEMBLY, A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING OVERHEAD TRACK ADAPTEDFOR ATTACHMENT TO THE CEILING OF A ROOM, A FRAME WHICH INCLUDES TWOVERTICALLY EXTENDING RAILS AND TWO HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING RAILS, SAIDVERTICALLY EXTENDING RAILS BEING SPACED APART IN A HORIZONTAL DIRECTION,AND BEING PROVIDED AT THEIR UPPER ENDS WITH MEANS FOR SLIDING CO-ACTIONWITH THE OVERHEAD TRACK, SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING RAILS BEINGATTACHED IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION TO THE VERTICALLY EXTENDINGRAILS, TWO PANELS OF GENERALLY RECTANGULR FORM SLIDABLY CONNECTED ATTHEIR UPPER AND LOWER EDGES WITH THE HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING RAILS, ONEBEHIND THE OTHER, EACH OF SAID PANELS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAMEWIDTH AS THE HORIZONTAL SPACING OF THE VERTICALLY EXTENDING RAILS, EACHOF SAID PANELS BEING SLIDABLE HORIZONTALLY IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS ALONGTHE HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING RAILS, AND MEANS TO LIMIT THE SLIDINGMOVEMENT OF EACH PANEL TO A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY HALF THE WIDTH OFTHE SAME WHEREBY TO EXPOSE BOTH PANELS ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER WHILE THEPANELS ARE SUPPORTED BY SAID HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING RAILS.